Daily Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1882-1893, 1887-05-17
IT IS ARB0R DAY
And it Should be Generally and
Effectively Observed by
Good Citizens.
1t is Also a Holiday at the Pub
lie Schools and They Will
Plant Trees.
Beautifying the City

Beautifying the city
A person visiting some of our west
ern cities is invariably impressed with
the appearance Of dreary bsrrenness.
Yet there Is something about the cities
and towns which conveys to the yisl-
tor the same impression one receives
when looking out upon n great desert.
This is especially true in the summer
tine when the broiling rays of al
August sun pouring down upon the
unprotected streets our towns are little
less than red hot furnace. II does
not lake the visitor long TO detect that
this sense OF dreariness and appear.
ance of barrenness all results from the
absence of shade trees. There can he
nothing more unatlractive in city
than u street which II barren oi ver-
dure aud SHADE. Aud what l. sull
worse, there can be nothing more
baneIuI 10 the health OF the city. Dem
yer owes liz lame for beauty to i'll
boulevard system. salt Lake not
many year- ago ~as ugly and uu,.ghl-
ly. but to-day II i one of the iOveIIest
of cities. l,s wonderful tran-fornia-
ton from uplIness To beauty was
brought about by tree planting. It's
avenues, miles In Lgth, with dOuhl
rows Of tees down their centres. lis
green parks and sodded spaces IA
front of the houses give the city an *.
treme!y attractive appearance during
the summer months. The success ia
tree planting in Salt Lake, Denver,
Cheyenne and Omaha has encouraged
many other western cities To adopt the
same plan with equally beneficial re-
suits wherever II has been tried. AL
though onr cities have not done IA
much IN that direction ~ they shugld
have done, still all of US can zee the
marvellous improvement that has
been made within The last few years
in the prairie cities. The cities of to-
day are ten times prettier than they
were five years ago, ..and nearly all
of This beauty is owing To tie improve
ment of its park system and Of plant
ing shade and street trees along the
streets, in the parks, yards, lawns, etc.
The trees not only have beautifying
effect but they have proved sanitarily
beneficial in absorbing the moisture
in the soil and many Of the noxIou.
yapors in the atmosphere. so gener-
ally recognized il the benefit of tree
plsntlng In this country that ArDor
Day has become u thing of national
Importance and day which IL becom-
ing more universally observed with
each recurring year. Arbor Day orig.
mated in Nebraska about twenty
years ago. Since then other states
have taken up the idea. and the list of
states that observe Arbor Day, max
inc it IA legal holiday, number no less
than sixteen; all following theexample
Of Nebraska in observing IL. Nom
tsns. We believe, IL among the first OF
the territories to adopt this method OF
btaltiiying and adding the wealth Of
trees to her already charming land
scapes. aud to-day has been designat-
ed Us Arbor Day. The governor
makes 1t a holiday and the schools
should devote the day TO its practical
observance. Let everyone who can
plant tree or vine to-day-it will be
good-and score Of years from now
those Of us who are fortunate enough
to have lease on life for that period,
and the young who grow up. we'll
tread beneath them. shady walks
and vine covered porches will bring
cheerful scenes to their thoughts. IL
will cause many person TO rejoice In
our ob .ervance OF the day. Quite an
effort has been displayed already by
many of our people. The city is bless.
ed with some shade aud verdure, per.
haps not equslled by any other city OF
its size and years in the territory. At
the same time there are lameutable
instances of where the sentiment OF
our pioneers has been sacrificed to the
grosser msterialism Of modern pro-
gress. This is particularly true In the
resident district Of the city. There is
DO feature OF a city's beauty more at
tractive to the stranger visiting II than
the cozy appearance Of the residence
district where the lovely dwellings
nestle down In groves OF oak and
maple with an abundance OF green
sward all around them. The sttrac'
tiveness of shaded streets In the resi-
dence portions of a city bring into
prominence the barrenness OF the bus.
mess districts. IL Is u pity that there
should not te trifle more sentiment
intermingled with the msterialism OF
this age, and while cities are being